The Technomancer

The Technomancer, a 2016 Action RPG, presents an interesting test case for modern hardware. When paired with the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER, the benchmark data reveals a system that is overwhelmingly capable of crushing this title, but the performance scaling across settings and resolutions tells a nuanced story about where the bottlenecks lie. The measured results indicate that this combination delivers a high-refresh-rate experience even at demanding 4K, with the GPU becoming the dominant factor as resolution increases.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER combination achieves a rank of 177 out of 2825 tested combos for this game. This places the pairing in the top 6.3% of all tested configurations, a strong showing that underscores the high-end nature of the components. The data suggests that this system is built for maximum performance, and in the context of The Technomancer, it is positioned far above the typical gaming rig.

The ranking is likely driven by the sheer power of the RTX 4080 SUPER. While the CPU is no slouch, the GPU’s classification in the 86th percentile of all GPUs is a primary driver of this high combo ranking. The system’s ability to maintain playable, and often exceptionally high, frame rates at 4K resolution reflects its top-tier placement. The fact that this combo sits in the top percentile of all tested systems means that users with this setup are unlikely to encounter performance limitations, even when pushing the game to its visual limits.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is the undisputed performance leader in this pairing. With 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, it offers a substantial memory bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s. In the context of The Technomancer, a game from 2016, this memory configuration is more than sufficient to handle any texture or asset the game can throw at it, ensuring that memory capacity is never a limiting factor at any of the tested settings.

The GPU’s architecture, Ada Lovelace, is built on a 5 nm process and features 10240 shading units. Its boost clock of 2550 MHz allows it to achieve a formidable 52.22 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. This raw compute power is what allows the system to achieve an average of 70 FPS at 4K High settings, a demanding workload. The data shows that the GPU is the primary scaling component; as settings are reduced from Ultra to Low at any given resolution, the frame rate increases significantly, indicating that the GPU has headroom to spare when the graphical load is lightened. The RTX 4080 SUPER's performance is a clear demonstration of its capability to handle even the most demanding modern titles, and The Technomancer is no exception.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear trend of performance scaling tied to resolution. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves a staggering 296 FPS. This high frame rate indicates that the CPU and GPU are working in harmony, with the system not being bottlenecked by either component at this lower resolution. However, as we move up the resolution ladder, the demands on the GPU increase, and the frame rates begin to drop accordingly.

At 1440p with Low settings, the average FPS is 194, a substantial decrease from 1080p. This trend continues to 4K, where the Low setting yields 106 FPS. The pattern is consistent across all settings presets. For example, at High settings, the FPS drops from 194 at 1080p to 127 at 1440p, and finally to 70 at 4K. This scaling pattern strongly implies that the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data at 1080p to achieve very high frame rates, but as the pixel count increases, the GPU's rendering workload becomes the primary constraint. The data suggests that the RTX 4080 SUPER is powerful enough to deliver an excellent experience at 4K, but it is not so powerful that it can maintain the same triple-digit frame rates seen at 1080p. The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial, highlighting the increasing graphical demands of higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run The Technomancer at 4K with high refresh rates?

A: Yes. The benchmark data shows an average of 70 FPS at 4K High settings and 54 FPS at 4K Ultra. While 70 FPS is not a high-refresh-rate number, it is very playable. For higher refresh rates at 4K, players could use the Medium preset, which yields 82 FPS, or the Low preset, which reaches 106 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve over 144 FPS?

A: At 1080p, the system can achieve over 144 FPS on all settings presets, with the lowest average being 152 FPS on Ultra. At 1440p, only the Low and Medium presets achieve over 144 FPS, with averages of 194 and 149 FPS, respectively.

Q: How much of a performance difference is there between 1080p and 1440p at High settings?

A: The average frame rate drops from 194 FPS at 1080p to 127 FPS at 1440p. This is a 67 FPS difference, or a 34.5% decrease in performance, indicating that the GPU is working significantly harder at the higher resolution.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck at 4K resolution?

A: The data indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting factor at 4K. This is evident from the significant frame rate scaling when changing settings. At 4K, the frame rate varies between 54 FPS on Ultra and 106 FPS on Low, which is a direct response to the GPU's workload. The CPU's performance is less of a constraint at this high resolution.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: The average frame rate on Low settings is 194 FPS, while on Ultra settings it drops to 99 FPS. This nearly 2x difference demonstrates the significant impact that graphical fidelity has on the GPU workload.

Q: How does the performance at 4K Low compare to 1080p Ultra?

A: The average frame rate at 4K Low is 106 FPS, which is actually lower than the 152 FPS average at 1080p Ultra. This shows that the resolution increase has a more significant impact on performance than the settings preset, further confirming the GPU is the bottleneck at higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data provides a detailed look at the measured average frame rates, with minimum and maximum values where available.

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Low: Average FPS is 296.
• Medium: Average FPS is 227, with a minimum of 193 and a maximum of 262.
• High: Average FPS is 194.
• Ultra: Average FPS is 152.

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Low: Average FPS is 194.
• Medium: Average FPS is 149, with a minimum of 126 and a maximum of 171.
• High: Average FPS is 127.
• Ultra: Average FPS is 99.

3840x2160 (4K)

• Low: Average FPS is 106.
• Medium: Average FPS is 82, with a minimum of 69 and a maximum of 94.
• High: Average FPS is 70.
• Ultra: Average FPS is 54.

The data shows a consistent and expected pattern. At each resolution, the average FPS decreases as the settings preset is increased from Low to Ultra. The difference between Low and Ultra is substantial at all resolutions, demonstrating the GPU's sensitivity to the graphical workload. The minimum and maximum FPS values for the Medium preset show that there is some frame time variance, but the averages remain high and playable.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is a 10-core, 10-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. In the context of The Technomancer, a game from 2016, this CPU provides a massive amount of processing power. The benchmark results show that the CPU is not a bottleneck at lower resolutions, as evidenced by the very high frame rates at 1080p.

The CPU's performance in synthetic benchmarks, such as a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 25891 and a single-core score of 3655, indicates it has the headroom to handle any game logic or physics calculations the title requires. The data suggests that the CPU is more than capable of keeping up with the RTX 4080 SUPER. The bottleneck in this system is almost exclusively the GPU, but only when the resolution is increased. At 1080p, the system is likely GPU-limited as well, but the GPU is so powerful that it can render frames faster than the monitor can display them. The Core Ultra 5 225's performance is sufficient to ensure that it will not hold back the GPU, providing a balanced platform for high-end gaming.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal settings preset depends on the user's display and performance priorities. For players with a 1080p display, the Ultra preset is the clear choice, as it still delivers an average of 152 FPS. This provides the best visual quality while maintaining frame rates that are well above the threshold for smooth gameplay and compatible with high-refresh-rate monitors.

For 1440p displays, the High preset is a strong recommendation. It achieves an average of 127 FPS, which is an excellent balance between visual fidelity and performance. For those seeking the highest possible frame rates, the Medium preset at 149 FPS is a viable alternative, but the visual upgrade to High is likely worth the small performance cost. The Ultra preset at 99 FPS is also playable, but it represents a significant performance drop for a game that may not have a massive visual difference at that level.

At 4K, the situation is different. The High preset delivers an average of 70 FPS, which is a solid, console-like experience. For players who prioritize a higher frame rate, the Medium preset at 82 FPS is a better option. The Low preset at 106 FPS offers the highest performance but comes with a significant visual penalty. The Ultra preset at 54 FPS is best avoided, as the frame rate dips below the 60 FPS threshold that is generally considered the standard for smooth PC gaming. The data suggests that a 4K experience is best enjoyed with the High or Medium presets, providing a good balance of image quality and performance.